The Stakes Are High
by WannabeeAussie
Summary: Cleo, Emma, Rikki and Bella are trapped in different situations when a zombie outbreak hits Australia. Can they find each other and survive?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I was inspired to write this by a story called "H2o: Just Add Water The End" but all the ideas are original except the zombies thing. The story includes most main characters from H2O! Please Review :)**

Cleo Sertori squinted in the bright sunlight of her bedroom. Why was she waking up this late? She was supposed to be at the Marine Park at eight for her morning shift.

She glanced over at her clock and found the answer: the power was out. Her alarm never went off.

Cleo took her brown hair out of its braids, letting her hair fall in light waves. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a tight pink polo shirt and ran down the stairs.

"I'm late!" She yelled to her father and Sam, grabbing a banana to eat on the way to the park. She was about to open the door when her dad pulled her back.

"Cleo, I don't want you going outside." He said sternly. "There are an awful lot of hooligans about…I think one of them might've cut the power."

Cleo rolled her eyes and looked out the window. There _were_ a lot of people around. They didn't seem to be going anywhere, just aimlessly dragging themselves up and down the street.

"Don't they look funny, darling?" Sam asked, also looking out the window. "Some of them are limping…and it's terrible hot outside."

Cleo looked more closely. "I don't think they're hooligans either, dad. Some of them look old. That old man is injured!" she gasped. "Do you think we should help them?"

Mr. Sertori shook his head slowly. "I don't know what to make of this. There's something funny going on."

There was silence as the three of them stared out the window. In the distance, they heard screams. Suddenly the people walking about started running, like they were chasing something.

"DAD!" Cleo heard her sister, Kim, shout from her room upstairs. "There are people outside my window!"

Kim's screams had caused some of the people outside to come towards the house. Cleo got a better look at them. Even the normally dark-skinned people looked deathly pale, and many had cuts or bruises on them. A little girl looked particularly horrible. Her shirt was ripped, and she had what could only be described as bite marks on her arms. The little girl pressed herself right up against the window.

Mr. Sertori went to get Kim. Sam locked the door. Cleo grabbed some food, water bottles, and blankets. There was _definitely_ something wrong.

"We are going in the basement." Her father said. He grabbed a few things—car keys, the keys to his boats, and a portable radio. Cleo loaded Kim and Sam's arms up with supplies as well and they headed for the basement.

When the door was shut they could no longer hear the sound of the people hitting themselves against their house.

The family tried to get comfortable on the couches downstairs, but they were too worried. What was going on? Why did that little girl have bite marks? It was something out of a horror movie.

Mr. Sertori started fiddling with the radio he brought. Thankfully, it was battery operated.

"—are not sure what to do at this time." The station was in the middle of a broadcast. Cleo listened closely for answers. None of what she heard made sense. Luckily, the broadcast was on repeat. After a few minutes the radio played the message over.

"A disease has rapidly spread through much of Australia. The dead appear to be coming back to life. Officials have stated that nearly one-fifth of the population has been infected." Cleo gasped.

"What about Lewis? What about Rikki and Bella? We have to go find them!" she exclaimed.

"Shhh…" Sam said soothingly. "It'll be all right. The government will handle this in a few days."

Cleo tried to focus on the radio instead of on the thought of her friends being infected. Kim was nearly hyperventilating.

"It is suggested that you board up your windows and don't go outside. Treat this like a tornado drill. Gather supplies for at least a few days and don't draw attention to yourself. Big cities are especially dangerous." The calm, almost robotic voice said. The broadcast started to repeat itself again, and Mr. Sertori turned it off.

"We need to conserve the battery." He explained.

The family fell into silence and anxiety. Cleo bit her nails ragged. What would happen to them now? Was this really just a small outbreak, or was this the end?

**AN: Don't forget to review! I will most likely post a new chapter once a week or sooner. Next up we will find out what Rikki's up to...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Let's find out how Rikki will find out about the disease...if you have any suggestions feel free to comment. I'm open to criticism, suggestions, and encouragement of course.**

"Zane! Did you forget to pay the electric bill again?" Rikki Chadwick yelled to her boyfriend, Zane Bennett.

"I don't know, probably!" Zane shouted back from the kitchen.

After a lot of issues last year, Rikki and Zane had gotten back together and were better than ever. Zane had even asked her to move in with him, and resume the manageress position of their café.

Rikki got dressed appropriately for the hot day and joined her boyfriend in the kitchen.

"We should get to work." Zane said, sipping his coffee. He handed Rikki one, too, and the couple set out. Their apartment was only a five minute walk from the café so they could save money on gas.

Rikki and Zane took the back way, away from the crowded streets so they could get there faster.

She grinned when she saw the neon sign that made her name glow. Zane pulled her close and they were thankful together. They had nearly lost the café last year due to money trouble, but a last-minute loan from the bank had put them back in business. _Rikki's_ had thrived in the summer months and started turning a profit quickly.

Then Rikki noticed the half-dozen people banging on the windows and walls of the establishment.

"What the hell…?" Zane murmured.

"Hey! HEY!" Rikki yelled at them, running closer and waving her arms. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The people turned to look at her, and Rikki got chills. They didn't look like people. They looked…dead.

The café door opened. "Rikki, run!"

It was Bella Hartley. What was she doing in there? Nevertheless, Rikki backed up quickly.

"Lewis is going to distract them, run inside quickly when they leave!" Bella yelled to them. One of the dead-looking people attempted to get inside, but Bella slammed the door. The people seemed to have forgotten about Rikki and Zane, and were instead bumping against the door where Bella had just been.

They only had to wait a few seconds. Rikki heard Lewis yelling near the back entrance. The people listened and shuffled away towards Lewis.

"Go!" Zane yelled. He grabbed Rikki's hand and they sprinted for the door. Bella got them inside and screamed for Lewis to stop.

Rikki panted and looked around. Why were there so many people in her café? Who were those people outside, and why did they look so weird?

"Bella, what is going on?" Zane said, echoing her thoughts. "How did you get in here?"

"The band was practicing early this morning, around eight. Lewis, Nate and I met up in here. We heard some people banging at the door, screaming for help—ˮ

"That was us." A twenty-something man and his apparent girlfriend interrupted.

"Yes, anyway…." Bella continued. "We let them in and they were chased by people. Well, they aren't exactly people, they're—ˮ

The man interrupted again. "They're like animals! They're infected!"

Rikki's eyes went wide. She turned to Bella, who nodded in agreement.

"There's some sort of disease going around." Lewis said, appearing from the back. "It started near Perth and it's spreading like wildfire. The government tried to keep it quiet, but, well…"

"So this will be fine in a few days?" Rikki asked.

Lewis shrugged. "Probably not. I'm sure they're working on a cure, in Australia and in other countries. But a cure could take weeks or months."

"So those people are like…zombies?" Zane asked incredulously. "Do they eat people?"

A girl Rikki had never seen before started crying. "Three of them ripped apart my father!" she wailed.

Rikki shuddered. This was like something out of a TV show, but worse, because she was actually experiencing it. This was real.

Suddenly, her brain went into panic mode as she wondered what was happening. All across the country, people were being killed or infected. Or they were hiding out in terror, like the café group. They would be fine so long as the generators stayed on, but what happened when the food spoiled? When the zombie-people broke in?

"Turn off the lights. Now!" she barked out orders. They had to conserve energy, to keep the power in the freezer on as long as possible. She wished she had a different mermaid power, like Emma's.

And with that thought, Rikki had a new worry. How were she and Bella supposed to keep their tails a secret, when they could be trapped in a café with strangers for weeks?

**Next chapter we will see how Emma's doing...thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Emma's chapter! This is the first fanfiction I've written, and I just recently learned about crossovers. Sorry that this is in the wrong category, it should probably be a crossover between H2O and The Walking Dead. If I make another crossover story in the future I won't make this mistake again. Please read, review, follow, favorite, whatever you feel like! And a big thank you to anyone who has already done this x**

"Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing." The flight attendant on Emma's plane announced. Emma's was already buckled, and had been since the beginning of the flight. Planes terrified her.

She could feel the slight downward descent of the plane and gripped her chair tightly. She closed her eyes and imagined the first thing she would do, now that she was back in the Gold Coast.

See her friends, of course! Emma hadn't even called them for ages. She was so excited to see Cleo, Rikki, and Lewis again. They made a new friend named Bella that she also couldn't wait to meet. They should get along well, if Bella was friends with Cleo and Rikki.

Before Emma knew it, the plane had landed. The sick, nervous feeling in her gut was replaced with complete happiness. She was home!

The sound of seatbelts unclicking was heard throughout the plane. People started to stand up and stretch when there was another announcement.

"We have received word that a strange illness has affected people along the Gold Coast. Proceed with caution." The same flight attendant said. Emma wasn't worried; she had excellent health and hadn't been sick for three years. Except that one time she, Cleo, and Rikki pretended to be sick. What a hassle that had been.

"The Australian government is suggesting you avoid busy places and go to your homes immediately. If you are from out of country, find a safe place to take shelter. The government advises you not to worry, but be on the lookout for strange looking people. These people have been infected and may attack."

Now Emma started to get worried. People were attacking? That just didn't make sense…

Emma and her family got their carry-ons and shuffled out of the plane with the rest of the passengers. She expected a busy, orderly airport like the one she'd left from. Instead they walked into chaos.

There were people everywhere, bumping into each other. They all seemed to be running in different directions. Kids were crying. The only light came from the large windows that covered almost every wall.

The Gilberts stood at the entrance of the terminal in shock. How would they get their luggage? More importantly, how would they get out of the airport and back home?

A forty-something, kind-looking woman stood near the wall. She appeared to be the only calm person. Emma's mom approached the lady.

"Excuse me? Our plane just landed. Do you know what is going on here?" she asked politely.

The woman just stared at her. "You haven't heard? This is happening all over Australia. These idiots are trying to book flights, to get out of the country. They're just taking the disease with them. Soon it'll be global."

"I think she means the disease that we heard about on the plane. Is it really that bad?" Emma stepped in.

"Honey, you haven't seen nothing." The woman said and laughed. She sounded a bit crazy. She walked off into the crowd and disappeared from Emma's sight.

"Mom, I want to go home. Forget about our luggage." Elliot whimpered. He had matured a lot while they had been on vacation, but situations like these would drive anyone to act like a kid.

Mrs. Gilbert pulled Elliot close. "You go on, I'll wait here for our luggage. I have some very valuable new crystal statues I need to get."

"No, I'll wait here and get them. You all go home." Mr. Gilbert offered.

"Neil, it's really no trouble…" Mrs. Gilbert replied.

"No. I will wait here." Mr. Gilbert said determinedly. Emma's mom saw that her husband was sure. She gave him some extra money for a cab, and Emma, Elliot, and her mom went to find the exit.

The exit was another problem for the Gilberts. The motion-activated sliding doors were not opening. Crushed against them, on the other side, were dozens and dozens of people. They were clawing at the doors, bumping against them in a desperate attempt to get inside.

"They're zombies!" Elliot screamed. They backed away slowly. _This_ was the disease they had been warned about. The dead were coming back to life and attacking.

Emma seemed to be the only one who could still think logically. That was possibly her one true strength; she could keep her head in stressful situations.

"Those doors aren't going to hold forever. We have to find a back entrance, maybe a fire escape." She planned out loud. Even as she was speaking, the glass doors were starting to crack. Those doors were going to give way, and soon.

Emma grabbed her mom and brothers hands and started to run. Fire escape. Where would an airport put a fire escape?

The three elbowed their way past crowds of people, still running all over the place, before everything was silenced by a huge _crack_. Heads turned to the doors as the glass finally shattered, and several dozen infected people burst into the airport.

**What do you guys think? Will all of Emma's family survive the airport attack? Will they get back to the Gold Coast? Next chapter, if you haven't already guessed, is Bella's!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for reviewing everyone! I'm glad you like it so far. Someone asked the question, "Why don't they use their powers?" So I'd like to answer before I get to the story. **

**There are several reasons. The first is that this is all new to them. They still see the zombies as people and don't want to hurt people. They also don't want to reveal themselves. I think if a zombie randomly burst into flame people might get suspicious. Also, some of their powers wouldn't be very effective on a big crowd of zombies. Rikki could burn them quickly, but Emma would have to freeze zombies one at a time, Cleo could maybe use her wind power, and Bella could trap them in some sort of jelly if they were close to water. They will probably use their powers eventually, we are very early in the story. Thanks for asking! If anyone else is confused on something I would be happy to answer, just review. Let's start Bella's chapter and see how everyone at the café is doing! :) **

Bella wiped her face, sniffing quietly. It had been less than two days since the disease had swept over the Gold Coast, and she was already having trouble keeping it together. If only she knew where Will was.

If he had any sense, he would've gone to the water. Maybe he was at Mako Island at this very moment, waiting for her and the others. And Cleo would be there, too, and her parents and everyone she loved…

She started tearing up again. No. She had to stop this. Her family, boyfriend, and friends were all okay. They would meet up later. If only things weren't so stressful here in the café.

Rikki and Zane had taken charge. Well, more like Rikki had taken charge. Zane was perfectly happy to do anything she said. Rikki had very good ideas but she wasn't very good at going about them. She preferred yelling at people rather than asking them, and it was getting on Bella's nerves.

There was never a quiet moment at Rikki's. There were ten survivors in all, spread out across the café. Four of them Bella knew, and the other five were complete strangers.

There was a small family of three, a mom, dad, and an eight year old boy. The boy was obnoxious but his parents did their best to help out.

Then there was the most annoying couple Bella had ever met. Their names were Simon and Jessica. Jessica complained about everything and refused to do anything. Simon liked to boss people around, and also didn't lift a finger to help. Rikki was getting pretty fed up with those two. Bella wouldn't be surprised if they got kicked out.

Last but _definitely_ not least, there was Nate. Since Bella was the only girl without her boyfriend or husband in the café, he had taken to hitting on her every twenty minutes. The worst hours were when he decided to practice his singing and guitar playing. Bella was pretty sure it drove the infected people away, though. But she would take zombies over Nate's crooning any day.

"Bella, can you help me board up this window?" Rikki asked. Bella retrieved a hammer and some nails and helped Rikki nail boards in an X formation to the window. Rikki's café was located a block away from a mechanical shop. Zane and Lewis had gone on a short expedition to retrieve a few supplies.

Secretly, Bella wanted to go with them. It wasn't enough for her to sit here and shut up windows when she could be out protected people from those things. She wanted to bring more people in here, but Rikki wasn't sure. They would have a hard enough time feeding ten people if the freezers shut down. Their main priority was saving energy.

"I wonder what Cleo's doing right now." Bella mused, setting down the hammer. "Do you think she went to Mako?"

Rikki shrugged, but Bella could see she was worried about her friend. "That's where I would go, other than here."

Bella grabbed Rikki's arm in excitement. "Let's go look for her! The water is just a few meters away, once we get into the ocean we're safe. Then we can find Cleo and Will and bring them back here."

Rikki considered it. "Maybe later, okay? We need everything set up here first."

Bella slumped into a booth. The café seemed fine. Everything was calm, no zombies could get in. The boys could handle it if anything did go wrong.

She heard Nate started strumming his guitar again, singing a Nate-train original. Bella _had_ to get out of here. And if Rikki wouldn't let her, she would sneak out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Before we check out how the Sertori's are doing, I have a quick question for you. I'm guessing if you're reading this you've seen movies or shows about zombies. The word "zombie" is weird for me to write, I feel like people wouldn't immediately start calling diseased people zombies. Do you have any suggestions about what else I could call them? I was thinking "diseased" or "infected" but I don't know. Please review if you have any suggestions about this or anything else for my story! xx **

"Stop hogging all the food, Kim!" Cleo whisper-yelled at her sister. The Sertori's had been trapped in their basement for two days. Cleo's dad ventured upstairs a few times to get more water bottles, food, and blankets, but other than that they were stuck here. Mr. Sertori thought it was too dangerous for them to be upstairs for long periods of time. Those things outside always pounded on the doors and windows when they saw people.

Kim threw a banana at her. Cleo resisted the urge to make a water bottle spurt up in her face and instead groaned loudly. Disasters were supposed to make families closer, not make them kill each other.

"How long is this going to last?" Kim whined. "My laptop, iPhone, _and_ iPod are all dead!"

"Read a book." Sam suggested helpfully. Kim rolled her eyes and opened another granola bar.

Cleo swatted it away from her. They needed to ration their supplies. They would run out in another day if Kim kept eating whenever she was bored.

Kim slapped Cleo's leg angrily. Cleo's temper burst and she punched her sister in the arm. Their little fight turned into a tousling match.

"Girls, stop!" Sam exclaimed. Cleo pinned Kim down before going back to what she'd been doing before—imagining what her friends were up to.

"Do you hear that?" Mr. Sertori asked. It was coming from upstairs, the sound of glass breaking. Cleo's anger and boredom turned to fear in an instant.

Cleo's dad crept upstairs and opened the door to peek out. He shut it again in an instant. "They're inside! I only saw a couple, but they're definitely there."

Kim made a noise halfway between a sob and a wail. Some of the people upstairs started throwing themselves at the door.

"They heard you!" Cleo hissed quietly at her sister. She heard more and more thumps against the door, as if new bodies were piling up against it. It was only a matter of time before the door broke down.

Sam and Mr. Sertori seemed to realize that, too. Sam went to the closet and got four backpacks, one for each. They threw supplies in the bags—lighters, canned food, water bottles, blankets. Cleo could barely zip hers shut. She had to carry her pillow.

Her dad led them to their large basement window. He carefully inspected their backyard for infected people and opened the window with a squeak.

Cleo was the last one out. Just in time, too. There was a huge sound of wood breaking as the basement door broke down.

"We have to get out of here!" Kim screamed, much too loud. Some of the dead, zombie-looking people started coming around to the back, speeding up when they saw their prey.

Cleo now had the chance to get a really good look at them. They walked slowly, like traditional zombies, until they saw ( or maybe smelled) living people. Then they moved faster and made groaning, anxious noises. Cleo wanted to help them, especially the especially old and the especially young ones. But they were dangerous. Anyone with eyes could see that. So she ran.

Mr. Sertori took the lead. Cleo didn't know where he was going, but she ran just behind her father. They stayed near the beach. Cleo knew she could swim away and be out of danger, but she couldn't leave her family behind.

They outran the zombies quickly, but new ones from the streets were constantly replacing them. She wasn't sure she could go much further. Sam was half-dragging Kim.

Then she saw her father's target: the Esmeralda. The wharf was nearly empty. She guessed that most families with boats would've abandoned their houses and headed out for sea, just like the Sertoris.

They jumped on board and closed the gate behind them. Mr. Sertori dug the keys out of his pocket and they were about to take off.

"Wait!" Cleo said, spotting an advantage. There was a five-gallon gas can on the dock, hidden in the shadows of a larger yacht. She started jumping off the boat, just as her dad started pulling away from the dock.

Cleo cannon-balled into the water, completely aware of her situation. She was about to turn into a mermaid in front of her family for the first time.

**Next chapter we will see how the café-dwellers are doing from Rikki's point of view. Spoiler alert: they may be leaving the café soon... **


	6. Chapter 6

**Back to the café with this chapter, I hope you guys like it! Review if you have any suggestions for my story or my writing :)**

Rikki led the newcomers into the café for a bottle of clean water and some fruit that had not gone bad. It was only the third day since the power shut off, and already four more people had joined the original ten. Her café was getting crowded, supplies were running low, and Rikki didn't like it one bit.

She didn't want to be selfish; her and Zane's business was one of the few with backup generators and unsmashed windows. It was only natural for people with nowhere else to go to come here. The newest four were travellers who didn't own houses on the Gold Coast. Hotels were a no-go zone, along with most schools, cities, and even hospitals. Those places were crowded with infected people, according to the newbies.

Lewis was having a meeting when Rikki got back to the main room. Although Rikki and Zane were technically in charge, Lewis was the one who kept things in order. He was always calm and logical, unlike Rikki who could get a little temperamental. Lewis had held two meetings so far.

"It's been three days." He started, standing on top of the stage. Everyone sat around him. Rikki and the newbies quickly took seats. "Three days, and things haven't gotten any better. I think we have to admit that we may be here for a while, maybe even a month."

There were sad, shocked exclamations from the crowd but Lewis spoke over them.

"Already there have been a few fights." He continued, looking back and forth between Nate, Zane and Simon. Simon accused Nate of hitting on his girlfriend, Jessica, and Zane somehow got into the fight as well. Thankfully, the issue got resolved before fists were used. They probably wouldn't be so lucky next time.

"I think we should elect a leader, or maybe several." Lewis said. "Like a sort of…mini-society. Think _Lord of the Flies_, without the killing. That way we have people to decide punishments, rations, and solve other problems that might occur."

Rikki looked around at the rest of the "society", as Lewis put it. They were nodding in agreement.

"The leaders should be able to make good, unbiased decisions." Lewis went on. "So…let's hear some nominations."

"Rikki." Bella said immediately. Rikki blushed a little. "She does the right thing, no matter what."

"No way!" Simon argued. "She would take the side of her boyfriend over others."

"No, she wouldn't." Bella said logically. "One time Zane tried to cheat to win a dirt bike competition and Rikki found out about it. She wouldn't let him win."

Zane looked embarrassed about this memory, but it shut Simon up.

"Okay…Rikki's a nomination." Lewis said. "Any others?"

"Lewis, you should do it." Zane suggested. There was agreement from everyone else. Rikki could tell Lewis was pleased.

"Alright, cool." He flushed. "Any others?"

There was a moment of silence before Jessica spoke up. "Simon should be it. He's a stronger leader than those two."

There were mixed reactions about this. Nate, Zane, and a couple others were shaking their heads, while everyone else was agreeing. Rikki wasn't sure what to think, but her instincts were telling her Simon was a bad guy.

"Simon is also a nominee." Lewis consented. "Do we all agree with this? Me, Rikki and Simon will be joint leaders, and we'll vote on issues?"

Everyone agreed as Rikki just started to realize what this meant—she was partially responsible for the safety of thirteen other people. Whoa.

The crowd dispersed and Lewis hopped off the stage. "Do you guys want to have a meeting and talk about a few things?" Rikki and Simon nodded and they walked over to a private corner booth. Rikki and Lewis sat on one side, Simon on the other.

"I think our main priority is keeping the food frozen and not wasting energy. Those generators aren't going to last much longer…we have one more propane tank and that's it."

Lewis got a notebook out of his pocket (typical nerd) and started writing a list. Item one: propane.

"But we need to be able to protect people, in case those things get in." Simon said. "We should get weapons, other than those hammers."

Lewis wrote 'weapons' on his list.

"And…how do we feel about taking in new people? Should we vote on them, or just let them come in?" he asked.

"For now I say we let them come in. If the café gets too crowded or supplies run low we would have to reconsider." Rikki said.

Of course, Simon had to voice his opinion. "We have to vote, we don't want some bad guys getting in here and taking our supplies!"

"Good point." Lewis agreed. "I think we should vote, too."

The three sat there for a little while longer, unsure of what to do. Eventually Rikki brought up the subject of supplies.

"We need propane, we need weapons, and I don't think it'd hurt to get more food. Canned goods, things that don't need to be frozen. But how do we get them?" she started, trying to explain her plan logically. "We should send out some people to get supplies."

Surprisingly, the others agreed. They worked out a plan. In the afternoon a group of four people would go out for a few hours to look for supplies. Now they just needed volunteers.

Simon announced the idea to everyone. Surprisingly, Bella was the first to volunteer. Rikki, Lewis, Simon, Zane, and Nate did as well.

"We only need four." Lewis said. "How about Bella, Zane, Rikki and I go and Simon can keep order around here?"

Simon reluctantly agreed to this plan. The four who were going each found bags to carry supplies. Rikki packed hers nervously with two water bottles and a small amount of food. As a last thought, she grabbed a hammer as a weapon. Zane, Lewis, and Bella found similar weapons. If worst came to worst, they had to be prepared.

The four walked out into the sunlight, praying to be back to safety in a few hours.

**What do you think's gonna happen on this mission? How will the café manage with Simon in charge? Review and you'll find out sooner...next it's back to the airport with another Emma chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter was a bit hard to write, so I would really appreciate your opinion on it...have a great day! :)**

Emma ran faster than she ever had in her whole life. All she knew is that she had to get away from those things. She had ran so fast, weaving through people, that she had lost sight of her mom and brother ages ago.

She didn't have time to process everything she had seen already. When the airport doors opened, a flood of zombies burst into the airport and attacked everything they saw. They could move surprisingly fast, but not as fast as Emma. It was mostly children and elderly people they could catch. And when they caught them…

Emma couldn't think about that now, she had to find a safe place. At first, sticking with the crowd seemed like the best option, but the zombies would follow. If only there were closets or rooms she could hide in. But no, the airport seemed to be made only of huge rooms and hallways. That fire escape she wanted to look for did not appear to exist.

A man elbowed her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. After running so long, this blow made her stumble. Falling in this crowd was like getting trampled on by a herd of stampeding bulls. She got stepped on and kicked so many times she wasn't sure she could get up. But she had to keep going, she couldn't be caught.

Jogging at a considerably slower pace, holding her bruised shoulder, she went to the first small room she saw: a bathroom. It was a men's room, but gender didn't matter at a time like this. Emma ran into a stall and locked the door. This was more of a resting stop than a place she could shelter at.

Emma took several minutes to catch her breath and look over her wounds. Her back and sides were already bruising. Someone had stepped right on her shoulder blade and that hurt, too, but nothing was broken.

She stretched out her limbs tentatively. It hurt to move them, but at least she _could_ move them. Now, she had to come up with a plan.

There was no one else in the bathroom. There also were no supplies or weapons. But maybe, she could make a weapon.

A small custodial closet was to her left. Emma opened it and found the usual cleaning supplies: brooms, mops, buckets, and cleansers. A broom could come in handy if she had to hit something away from her. She grabbed that and rummaged around for anything else that was usable.

She found a different, cracked broom and used her knee to split it in half. The end had a nice, sharp point like a spear. It was lightweight, too, so carrying it around wouldn't be a problem.

Emma took a couple of practice jabs. The movement made her shoulder start aching again, but there was nothing she could do about that.

Suddenly there were footsteps from outside of the restroom. They weren't normal human footsteps. She could tell they were zombies, and a lot of them. Emma held her breath and didn't move, afraid to make any noise. If they knew she was in here, she was done for.

The last of the limping footsteps went away and Emma unfroze. She waited another minute and didn't hear anything. Slowly, she crept out of the men's room and looked around. All clear. She took off, running fast but quietly.

She had to find her family. Emma knew her mother well enough that she would stick with Elliot and look for her husband. And Mr. Gilbert was getting their luggage. Emma headed in the direction of the baggage claim area.

She used a technique to spot any danger. She would sprint to the end of a hallway, stop, look down the next hallway for zombies, and then sprint again. It worked pretty well—until she actually found some zombies.

There were two of them, about halfway down the next hallway. They appeared to be banging on a closet door, until they heard Emma's gasp. They started creeping toward her.

Emma tightened her grip on the broken broomstick handle, knowing that she would have to use it. In all the horror movies she had seen about zombies, you had to hit it in the brain (yuck) to kill it. When the first one came near, that's what she did.

The first sense that hit her was the sound. Squelching nastiness that didn't seem to fade from her eardrums.

Next came the smell. One time, Emma's dad left a steak sitting out before they went away for the weekend. When they came back it smelled like rotten meat. This was way, way worse. Infected rotting meat.

Emma retched and pulled the broomstick out of the first zombie's head. The second one came nearer and she killed it the same way. She didn't have time to process the fact that she had just killed something, something that used to be another human. She retrieved her weapon from the second zombie's head and went to the closet they had been pounding on before.

Instinctively, she knocked. Emma felt stupid now. What would hear her? Unless there were people in there…

"Hello?" she called softly, opening the door. There were no lights, but she could hear movement.

"Emma?" she heard someone sniff.

"Elliot!" she exclaimed, running into the darkness. The door shut behind her.

"I'm here, too, honey." Emma's mom said. Emma found them and pulled them close, tears of relief coming to her eyes.

"Did you find Dad?" she asked desperately. Somehow, she already knew the answer. There were only two other people in the room.

"No…" Elliot said. He was sad again.

Emma slumped onto the closet floor. She was hungry, tired, and thirsty. More than anything she wanted to be home safe and sound. They had no chance of survival if they stayed in this airport for too long.

Elliot nudged her. "Want some peanuts?"

Emma almost laughed at how random that was. "Where did you get peanuts?"

"The flight attendant. I asked for extra, me and mom have only eaten one bag." Elliot explained. He put a package in her hand.

"Thank you." Emma said gratefully. She carefully opened the peanuts and started eating them one by one. They lessened the hunger considerably, but now she was extremely thirsty.

Emma sat in the darkness for several minutes. The airport was eerily quiet. She could hear every movement her mom or brother made. The complete silence allowed Emma to think clearly and formulate a plan. After what felt like an hour, she reached out to her family and started explaining it to them quietly.

Her mom and Elliot nodded in agreement. They would find her father and get out of the airport, or die trying.

**What do you think of this chapter? I sure wouldn't like to be in Emma's situation. Do you think they'll find her father? Will they get out of the airport with everyone alive? Next chapter we'll have Bella, Lewis, Rikki and Zane on their supply run**. **Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! Thanks for some really great reviews, I'm glad you all like it so far. I've planned out how to end this story so let's hope I finish it :) I was all set to write this chapter when my best friend texted me with some drama. She's having a hard time right now with this guy...I won't go into it. I ended up sending her about five inspirational Gossip Girl quotes. We have a strange friendship, but Blair and Serena are basically us. Enough with my rambling, enjoy the chapter! xx **

"So what do we do now?" Bella asked Lewis, Rikki, and Zane. They had left the café and were making a plan on the beach.

"What do we need?" Lewis asked, but it didn't seem like a question because he answered it himself. "Food, water, propane…"

"Weapons." Zane suggested. Rikki nodded.

"While we're out here I think we should look for survivors." Bella said. "Our parents, Cleo, Will…they're all out here somewhere."

"My dad's on a business meeting in Fiji." Zane said. "But I think we should look for them, too."

Lewis and Rikki agreed quietly, their minds traveling back to their missing friends and family.

"So we should swing by the boatshed and Cleo's house." Rikki said decisively, talking with her hands. "Then hit our houses, too."

"Shouldn't we check Mako?" Bella asked. "That's where I would go."

"We don't have that much time." Lewis replied. It was probably one o'clock in the afternoon, and they said they would be back around sundown. "So where do we go first?"

Zane, who was being logical for once, proposed a very good idea. He said they should look for their friends and families first, that way if they find anyone they could help carry supplies back to the café.

"Or we could make a few small trips, check out the houses and shops around here first." Lewis argued.

"There won't be any weapons at a grocery store, Lewis!" Zane pointed out. "We need all of these things but there isn't enough time to get it all in one or two trips. A propane tank would take at least two to carry it, and how many water bottles can four people hold at once?"

Bella put her face in her hands. She wanted to be optimistic, but they were wasting time. There was so much to do but they were arguing about how to get it done.

Zane and Lewis continued arguing for another couple of minutes, getting louder and louder. Bella watched, terrified, as two infected people from the street drifted over to the beach, getting faster when they saw the group.

"Let's get out of here." Rikki said, her blue eyes flashing. Lewis helped Bella out of the sand while Zane grabbed Rikki's hand.

"Wait…" Rikki turned back and raised her arm towards the sky. A massive lightning bolt appeared from the clouds and struck the two zombies, disintegrating them. The group jumped back at the force of the bolt.

"Nice one." Zane commented. Rikki grinned, but Bella felt uneasy. Those used to be _people_.

"My dad's house is close, and he would have weapons." Rikki said when they were closer to her side of town. "I think we have a propane tank out back, too."

"Let's head over there." They trudged up to the main road, looking out for more threats. Zane had a hammer ready, just in case.

Rikki darted across the street, hiding behind trailers. They made a zig-zagging pattern through the trailer park until they reached the small, shabby house Rikki used to live in. Bella had only been there a couple of times, before Rikki and Zane got an apartment together. Before, it had looked cozy and sweet. Now, it just looked abandoned.

"I can check if you want." Zane whispered to Rikki, putting his hand in hers. Bella felt a pang of longing for Will. She needed someone to hold her hand during these moments.

Rikki nodded, looking sad, scared and…vulnerable. If a girl like Rikki couldn't handle checking her old house, how could Bella?

Zane ducked inside and disappeared from Bella's view. In a few minutes Zane was back with a big, black duffel bag. Rikki rushed to him.

"Where's my dad? Did you find him?" She asked urgently.

"No, but there weren't a lot of supplies left. It looked like someone left in a hurry." Zane reported. "I found a few cans of food, and a bit of ammunition. I thought we could carry some supplies in this when we find them." He held up the black bag.

"So my dad might be okay?" Rikki asked. A huge smile broke out on her face. She hugged Zane, her petite frame lost in his arms. Lewis and Bella let them stay like that for a moment before Lewis coughed to bring them back to the mission.

"You said there's a propane tank out back?" Lewis reminded Rikki.

"Oh yeah." Rikki said. Everyone laughed quietly while Rikki led them to the backyard.

The backyard was littered with mechanical junk. There was an old motorcycle with its parts lying about it, different metal tools here and there, and about five empty coffee mugs on a small table. Rikki went into a small shed and returned with a little metal tank on wheels.

"Ta-da!" she said sarcastically. "Let's find a place to store this thing so we can come back for it later."

They decided to use Mr. Chadwick's house for a storage place. Rikki wheeled the propane tank into a closet and Zane chucked in a few screwdrivers. He thought they would work for weapons. Bella imagined a screwdriver in a zombie's head and shuddered.

Lewis was peering at the sun, almost like he was trying to examine it. He treated everything like a science experiment.

"It looks about 5, maybe 6 o'clock? There is no way we will get everything we need before sundown." He informed them. "I think one of us should go back to the café and tell them we'll be late."

Rikki, Zane, and Bella all glanced at each other stubbornly. None of them wanted to be the ones to go back.

"We could split up." Zane suggested after a thirty second stare-down. "Rikki and I get half of the supplies, Bella and Lewis get half?"

Reluctantly, Bella agreed. She didn't like the thought of Rikki and Zane on their own, but they didn't have another choice.

"Bella and I can get food, water, and look for friends and family. Zane and Rikki, you also look for survivors, fuel, and weapons."

Each group planned out which path they were going to take, going into great detail just in case. Zane tossed Bella and Lewis each a screwdriver, keeping one for himself.

Rikki rose her eyebrows at him; she didn't get one.

"What? You've seen what your powers can do." Zane explained. "You've got a better weapon than us all combined."

Rikki laughed and shrugged. Unexpectedly, she pulled Bella and Lewis into a hug.

"Good luck guys." She said, squeezing them tightly.

"You, too." Bella squeezed harder. She pulled Zane into the group hug, as well.

Who knew if they'd ever see each other again?

**Next chapter is back to Cleo as she's falling off the dock...should be up before the weekend. Don't forget to review ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I've been very very busy lately but I won't bore you with excuses :) This is a Cleo chapter. Enjoy! xx**

Cleo hit the water with a splash, panicking. There was no way she could get out of this one. Unless…

She swam quickly beneath the dock, hiding her tail with the dark water. She could picture her family freaking out when she didn't resurface, but they would freak out a lot more if they saw her as a half-fish. She sped through the water, away from the Esmeralda, and found a sheltered area of the beach to dry off on.

With no towels or Rikki to help, drying off took a while. Luckily it was a hot, sunny day. She was close to becoming human again when she heard it: something crashing through the bushes behind her.

As Cleo whipped around, the thing came crawling out. It was one of the infected people, a man with a severe limp. He didn't seem to care much for her, perhaps because she smelled more like a fish than a human. Cleo froze in the sand, scared to make a noise and draw it towards her. She couldn't even run away.

The man-thing inhaled deeply, smelling the air with loud gasps. He turned towards her slowly, sensing her half-humanity.

Cleo squealed, pushing against the sand to get away from the thing. She wasn't going very far, and the zombie was soon next to her. It still seemed confused about what she was. It bent down…

Instinctively, Cleo stuck out her hand. A strong wind began to blow, forcing the zombie back several meters. Cleo was amazed. She had never tried using her wind power in a way so strong before, strong enough to move a person! The zombie was far away now, and heading in the opposite direction. Maybe they were like goldfish, and they had a short attention span. It just forgot all about her.

Cleo turned her hand to her tail, blowing air lightly to force off the remaining water droplets. In a minute or so she was back to having two legs.

She ran in the direction of the wharf, where hopefully the Esmeralda would still be. She couldn't take it if her family had left without her.

Cleo could see the huge fishing boat in the distance and grinned, sprinting for the dock. Sam was comforting Kim. Cleo's dad was soaking wet and saying something to the others while preparing to dive overboard again.

"Dad!" she yelled as loudly as she dared. You never knew who—what—could be listening. Mr. Sertori looked up from his diving position, relief and shock showing through his whole body.

"Cleo! You're okay!" Kim squealed, obviously not caring about staying quiet. Cleo ran up the dock, grabbed the gas can that caused all this trouble, and leapt aboard.

"We were so worried…we thought you hit your head on the dock!" Sam exclaimed.

"No, I…" Cleo couldn't think of an excuse. "I couldn't see and I accidentally swam to the other side of the dock."

Her family stared at her, confused by her lame excuse.

"I think we should just go." She suggested. In perfect timing, a couple of zombies came into sight.

"It's the things!" Kim screeched, cowering next to Sam. Mr. Sertori pulled up the anchor and started the motor.

The Esmeralda pulled away from land, and Cleo and her family were headed out for open sea.

**So I know there was at least one person who wanted Cleo's family to find out about mermaids, but now wasn't the time. But I hope you all realize the Sertori family could spend weeks on the open sea, anything can happen ;) Leave a review if you have any suggestions!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I am very very busy right now. Let's see how Rikki and Zane are doing on their mission!**

Rikki instinctively felt for Zane's hand as they stared through the bushes. They had been on their own for only a half-hour, and it was already a scary, adrenaline-pumping experience.

They found two other small, portable propane tanks at Rikki's neighbours. They stored them back at Rikki's old place, and now they were here planning.

The trouble wasn't getting into the mechanical store; it was keeping those things _out_. The supply store evidently had a generator that kept the lights on, and it also kept the motion-activated doors on. It was actually quite a funny sight, with zombies walking in and out of a supply shop. But Rikki and Zane weren't laughing.

"We could both run in there." Zane planned, pointing at the doors. "And they'll chase us, most likely. But then you can stand guard and burn any that come through while I get propane and weapons."

"There are at least a dozen in there, too. I can't watch your back and mine at the same time!" Rikki complained. "We have to shut off those doors."

"You know," Zane contemplated, "I had a friend who shoplifted something, and when the tag passed through the first set of doors the second ones shut. We could run in there, I'll grab something and scan it through the first doors, and the second doors might shut."

"And if they don't?" Rikki asked, flashing her blue eyes at him. Zane shrugged.

"We'll wing it."

Rikki clenched her fist together slowly, feeling energy flow to her hand. The zombies in front of the store burnt to a crisp, leaving behind a pile of ashes and smoke. And that smell…

They didn't have time to think about the nasty details. Zane raced just ahead of her and they tumbled through the doors. Rikki stayed just past the first set while Zane ran off into the store, finding something with a price tag.

Rikki fried two zombies while waiting for Zane. He came back with some sort of electronic screwdriver. He passed it through the doors to recreate a shoplift. Sure enough, the second, outer doors opened once more and then locked shut. A loud beeping noise sounded and the zombies piled up outside.

"Yes!" Zane hollered, grabbing a shopping cart and spinning it around. "Told ya."

Rikki took a metal cart for herself and let out a whoop. This supply trip was easier than she thought.

There were a few zombies that were already in the store, but Rikki burned them before they could get close. She and Zane had the whole store to themselves.

Zane went to one end (armed with some weapons plucked from the shelves, just in case) and Rikki to the other. Dozens of portable propane tanks lined the bottom shelves, along with gas cans and an assortment of other useful things. Rikki started loading propane tanks into her cart, filling it awkwardly with four or five tanks.

Zane returned with a cart half-full of weapons. His eyes bulged at the jackpot of propane.

"Do we really need four electric screwdrivers, Zane?" Rikki asked him, eyeing the contents of his cart. "Take out at least half of that crap and get the propane."

Her boyfriend rolled his eyes. "Right away, Your Highness." He put some not-so-useful machinery back on the shelves and got two propane tanks.

Rikki struggled to push her cart over the smooth floors and realized their next problem: friction. There was no way they could wheel these heavy things on grass or even pavement. Zane seemed to be having the same problem. He suggested that they each carry two tanks and a bag of weapons each, and stash them at Rikki's dad's place and come back for more later. Rikki agreed, but it almost physically hurt her to see the dozens of tanks they were leaving behind. Propane would be the café's lifeblood in the coming days—or weeks.

The sun was starting to set when Rikki and Zane got their supplies to Rikki's old house. There was no sign of Lewis and Bella, but they still had a while until sundown.

Rikki cleaned up a little but mostly they just sat and waited. Okay, and kissed a little. There had been no privacy the past few days at the café.

When the sun had set Rikki began to worry. Lewis and Bella were responsible, trustworthy people. If they said they would be on time, they would be…so where were they?

Rikki rested her head on Zane's shoulder, needing a bit of comfort. They shouldn't have split up. That's what they did in horror movies, and it always worked out badly for them. Her life was definitely turning into a horror movie.

**So what do you think happened to Bella and Lewis? I'm not sure you'll expect it...anyway I hope to update soon! I only have two weeks left of school but I want to tan after school soo... :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**It's starting to feel like summer! :) Let's see how Emma's doing in the airport... **

Emma lead her mom and brother through the airport hallways. She vaguely knew where the baggage area was, but whenever they saw zombies they had to either hide or turn around and find an alternate route. Needless to say, it was slow going.

Mrs. Gilbert pointed to a sign above the next entrance that said, in bold black letters, "BAGGAGE CLAIM". They smiled nervously, wondering who and what they would find inside.

Emma crossed the hallway with stealth and cautiously pushed open the door. The entrance was blocked, but not well. There seemed to be a few luggage cases stacked up in front of the doors. It didn't stop Emma from scraping open the door.

The lighting was dim and cast shadows over the objects and people inside. From this distance, she couldn't tell if the people were dead or alive.

"Who's there?" someone whispered nearby. Heads were popping up and staring in their direction, wondering who had broken past their defenses.

"It's okay. We're a family, we are looking for someone." Emma's mom answered them soothingly. A guy near Emma set his weapon down. It wasn't much of a weapon, of course, just a golf club.

"Lisa!" a man's voice yelled from the crowd. "Emma, Elliot!"

"Neil!" Emma's mom gasped as her children yelled, "Dad!"

The family reunited with a massive hug. Tears of relief came to Emma's eyes. For many long, scary hours she had thought she'd never see her father again. Now there was a possibility her whole family could escape this death trap of an airport. The people around them stared with jealousy and awe. Emma wondered how many of them were missing family members, friends, or partners. Her heart went out to every one of them.

Reluctantly, the Gilbert's separated. They had never been a touchy-feely family but the threat of death brought them all closer.

Emma realized her mom was crying. The tears started up again in Emma's eyes, too.

"I—I thought we wouldn't see each other again. And all because of a stupid statue!" Mrs. Gilbert cried, hugging her husband tightly. "Don't ever leave me again, not ever."

"I'm so sorry…" Emma's dad whispered, rubbing Mrs. Gilbert's back soothingly. "I didn't know it was this dangerous. We'll get out of here tonight."

"How?" Elliot asked fearfully. "Everywhere we look there are zombies."

Emma slung her arm over her brother's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Elliot. We'll break a window or something."

"What about that fire escape we were going to look for earlier?" Mrs. Gilbert suggested with a sniff. Everyone nodded at the idea.

"We are _not_ splitting up again to find it." Emma ordered.

It was amazing how quickly she had fallen into this survivor role. Maybe it was her many years of competitive sports, but she felt like she could take on an authoritative role even with her parents around. She was a strategist, a fighter. She could do this.

Emma logically chose a hallway to search for a fire escape. It would have to be near the outside so she started with the hallways closest to the edge of the building. The Gilbert's searched two empty hallways before coming across another hallway with several zombies in it. And at the end of the passageway, there was a glowing red sign marked, "Exit." Fantastic.

Without a word, Emma handed half of her old broomstick handle to her dad, and kept the other half for herself. She pounced on the nearest zombie and stabbed it in the head. The dizzying, disgusting sensations made her feel faint for a moment, but she ignored her weakness and wrenched the stake out of its head. Her father did the same thing to another zombie, but he had less experience. It took him a few jabs for the stake to reach the zombie's brain and effectively kill it.

Emma stabbed the last one in the hallway and ushered her family through. Mr. Gilbert pushed open the exit door and they were out in the city, with danger down every street.

**So I will be working on a few things in the upcoming chapters:**

**1. Making them longer**

**2. Updating more frequently**

**3. Trying to fit each character's personality in**

**I really want to improve with my writing so if you have any other suggestions for me I would very much appreciate it! Thank you everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, etc. I have lots of new ideas for H2O stories but I will finish TSAH and my other story, Season 4, before I start a new one. The next chapter will show what happens to Bella and Lewis on their mission**.


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm so sorry for not updating in forever! My school decided to take our computers for the summer. It was very last minute and annoying. It's been a few weeks but I have a new computer and I will be updating much more often! :)**

"Where do you want to head to first?" Lewis asked. They were making their way carefully to a more popular part of town. Lewis came up with the brilliant idea of staying close to the beach, so that if any zombies came around Bella and Lewis could swim away. Bella wasn't looking forward to Lewis grabbing onto her tail, so hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Well we need food, water, and friends…" Bella thought out loud. "I think we should check our friend's houses first. Cleo's is close, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Lewis said, lost in his thoughts. Bella understood how he was feeling. She was longing for Will almost painfully, the same way Lewis missed Cleo. But the thought of checking Will's boatshed made her anxious. What if they got there and found a body? Or worse, no one at all? But perhaps the most horrible outcome would be stumbling around the boatshed and coming across an infected Will.

Yes, Bella understood how Lewis was feeling.

"I think we should go to Cleo's, too." Lewis determined quickly. "If she's there then we will have an extra person to carry supplies. And we can check out Will's after."

"Okay." Bella gulped. Her and Lewis walked side-by-side along the beach for a couple more minutes. Her heart was racing constantly, like she was going to have a heart attack. Bella was not made to be on the alert for hours on end.

"Hey, Bella…" Lewis said, stopping. "There's something I didn't tell Rikki and Zane. About our trip."

"What?" Bella asked.

"There's another reason I wanted to come. Do you want me to explain now or later?" Lewis seemed to have difficulty with telling his secret.

"Now is fine." Bella answered. In a world like this, "later" wasn't a confirmation.

Lewis ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up in random places. "Well…I want to research this."

Bella gave him a confused look. His explanation wasn't very good.

"You know, the disease. I want to research it, find out exactly what's happening to the people around here. If I can locate exactly how humans are affected, maybe I can find a cure."

"Wow." Bella said, her blue eyes widening. Lewis' plan was ambitious, but it was far more progressive than just staying alive. If he were to succeed, thousands of people all over the country—or maybe the world, by now—would be saved. A bubble of hope rose up in her chest. If anyone could solve this, it was Lewis.

"But to research it, I will need some equipment. I have some things at my house, but others…" he shook his head and trailed off. "Let's just say we may have to do some breaking and entering to get the tools I'll need."

Bella nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. I'll help you. But first we have to do the stuff we're supposed to. And shouldn't we tell Rikki and Zane about it?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. If we have time we'll get some equipment from my house, meet up with Rikki and Zane, and then head to the nearest lab for the rest."

"Okay." Bella agreed. This sounded reasonable. She would hate to leave Rikki and Zane alone, wondering where she and Lewis were.

They walked along the beach for a few more minutes, the ocean ironically peaceful compared to their destroyed society. Cleo's house was nearly in sight, and Bella's heartbeat sped up. So did their walking pace.

Lewis started running. Despite the fact that he was extremely unathletic, he was much faster than Bella. She sprinted behind him, kicking up sand with her feet, the rest of the way to Cleo's house. Lewis came to an abrupt halt, causing Bella to crash into him from her momentum.

Lewis was solid like a rock, frozen in place. She regained her balance and turned to her friend's house. It had been abandoned, clearly. The front door had been broken down. Paint was chipping about three meters above the ground from where countless zombie fists had pounded against the wall. Several zombies staggered around outside the house, and through the windows Bella could spot a few more inside. Lewis nearly fell backwards in horror.

"Cleo." He whispered. Bella bit her lip, trying not to cry. They had to get out of here. She tugged on his arm and pulled him away from the awful scene.

Lewis collapsed and put his head in his hands. Bella wanted to do the same. To give up right now would be a blessing; surely it wasn't possible to deal with this level of grief? To think of her sweet best friend, dead or infected, was simply too much.

Yes, Bella understood what Lewis must be feeling right now. But the zombies around Cleo's house didn't care that he was traumatized. They smelled the two survivors and were slowly making their way towards them.

She grabbed his arm again and started dragging him away. Lewis wiped his face and stood up. Bella looked into his eyes and saw emptiness that terrified her even more than the approaching infected people. Lewis started running and Bella followed him. Any direction away from Cleo's house was the right direction to them.

A half-hour later, Bella's emotions finally got to her. She and Lewis sat down near the ocean to rest before checking out Will's boatshed. Being by the ocean reminded her of Cleo and all of the fun they'd had swimming. Cleo completed her trio-she knew there had been a trio before her, but there was a big gap missing nonetheless.

A few tears slipped out of her eyes, and soon she was sobbing. Lewis tried to comfort her, but could an empty soul comfort another empty soul? Bella didn't think so. Lewis was trying his best but there was no hope for Bella's friend or Lewis's love.

"I was going to propose to her." Lewis said sadly, tearing at the skin on his fingers. "Next month. I had a ring picked out and everything."

Bella sniffed and looked at Lewis's red eyes. He was crying, too. She reached out and held his hand, and they stayed that way for several minutes. It wasn't a romantic gesture; they both needed someone who wasn't there, and each other would have to do. They both gathered their composure and started trudging to the boatshed.

The pit of fear in her stomach was ever deepening as they approached Will's home. From what she could see, there were no zombies near it. However, there were dents in the door, like something had spent quite a bit of time pounding on it.

"Bella, look." Lewis said excitedly, pointing to the dock. "His boat's gone."

Bella nearly started crying again. But they would be tears of relief, not sadness. There was a good chance Will was out there somewhere, maybe camping out on Mako. He could be waiting for her there...

"He's on Mako, I know it!" she exclaimed happily. Then she stopped and remembered Cleo. How could she be celebrating when her best friend was gone? Not even Will's potential survival could fill the gaping hole where Cleo was supposed to be. Somehow Bella felt that she would never be whole again.

Lewis and Bella checked out Will's boatshed quickly for supplies. He had apparently taken anything useful with him on his boat, even his diving equipment. Lewis found a few scientific instruments that he wanted and then they checked out a few abandoned houses.

They found a good supply of food and a few bags to carry it in. Mostly they got canned goods and things that would last a long time. What they really needed to find now was water.

Lewis had an idea for that. He had come up with a system to de-salinate and purify water from the ocean. It involved Bella's power.

Bella could always feel it in her mind whether water was clean, salty, polluted or fresh. Saltwater felt heavier than freshwater, for example, and the little pollutants felt foreign. She used her power to turn a bucket of saltwater into jelly, and then forced the salt, dirt and toxins to the top of the bucket. Lewis scooped out the entire top layer of salty, polluted jelly and set it in the sand. Then they waited for the jelly to return to it's liquid form. Lewis tested the new water, and said it tasted fresh and clean. Bella carefully drank a little bit and then dried off her mouth before her tail could appear.

Lewis dumped out the bucket of water and they started walking to their meeting place with Rikki and Zane. It was a slow journey because they were both mentally and physically tired from the day's events. It was nearly dark. Rikki and Zane would be worried.

Bella truly couldn't wait to be reunited with her friends. But along with their successes they had to bring the worst news possible. Every time she thought about her friend Bella felt too weak to carry on.

And suddenly, Bella was sure that she would be too weak to survive these times. If Cleo couldn't, then Bella was as good as dead.

**So there's a good example of irony in this chapter...my English teacher would be proud. Don't forget to leave a review! Xo **


	13. Chapter 13

**In this chapter we will see the emotional toll that this disease can have on people...especially when they are alone. Cleo is reunited with a group member but her worries are not over.**

Cleo breathed in the warm sea air and tried not to throw up again. It was her second day on the _Esmeralda_ and she was still sea-sick.

They had also finished off most of their canned goods, and were now eating fish for every meal. Cleo liked fish, but not enough to have it for breakfast.

Perhaps the worst part about living on a boat was the water. They didn't have a huge supply of it; there were only about ten water bottles left. Cleo had to be extremely careful while drinking it to make sure she didn't get a tail in front of her family. The water also tasted stagnant and old.

Boat life was a lot better than being trapped by zombies, but Cleo couldn't take it anymore.

Her sea-sickness passed and Cleo gazed out longingly at the ocean. She wanted to just jump in and swim to shore, or at least do something other than fight with Kim and eat fish.

Sam came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"It's okay, Cleo. By tomorrow you won't be sick. And your father is thinking about landing on an island. See that one out there?"

Sam pointed to an island with a volcano. She hadn't realized it before, but the boat had slowly been floating towards Mako Island for the past day.

"Yes!" she yelled out to the waves. "Please, talk to my dad. Let's go tonight. Mako is really safe."

Sam laughed at her enthusiasm. "And how would you know?"

"Um..." Cleo's mind went blank for a few moments before she thought of an excuse. "We went camping there once and it was okay."

"I'll talk to your father about it." she replied and walked away. Cleo sighed and traced the outline of Mako with her finger. Her friends were probably there, waiting for her. And Lewis...she couldn't wait to feel his arms around her again.

That night, Cleo fell asleep below deck imagining just that.

Cleo opened her eyes and went to the top deck, where Mako Island was even closer than it had been the day before. She could almost feel the cold rock of the Moon Pool and the sand on the beach.

Mr. Sertori was already turning on the boat to go to shore. Kim was still sleeping, and Sam was preparing a boat with supplies. Cleo realized that she might get wet in the process of getting to the island, but decided she could pull another dissappearing act if that happened.

Cleo helped Sam load water bottles, blankets, and their other supplies into the boat. She also grabbed a few towels to protect herself from the waves and sea spray while she was in the boat.

Sam woke up Kim while her dad got as close to the beach as possible before lowering the smaller life-boat into the water. He jumped in, then helped Sam, Kim and Cleo into the boat. It rocked a little bit, but Cleo stayed dry. She wrapped a towel around herself and Mr. Sertori started paddling.

"Didn't you, Emma and Rikki get stranded on this island a few years ago?" Kim asked. She didn't look excited at the prospect of being back on land. She just looked bored, and was picking at her cuticles.

"Yeah, in Zane's Zodiac." she recalled that terrifying, magical day that started two years of adventure and friendship. Not for the first time, she wondered how her friends were doing. Rikki could handle herself easily, and Bella was smart. Emma was probably still in Italy or wherever, perfectly safe from zombies. And Lewis...he was smart, too. Extremely smart. He, Bella or Rikki could even be waiting for her here on Mako.

Sam had never heard this story and was extremely curious. Cleo told her everything that happened, except the fact that the three girls turned into mermaids the next day.

The boat touched the ground just as Cleo was finishing her story. Mr. Sertori climbed out of the boat and pulled his family right up to the beach. Cleo stepped out onto the dry sand, relieved to be past the threat of water.

During regular times, to normal people Mako was a threatening, forbidding place. There were sharks, reefs, jungle, and some dangerous animals. But during a "zombie apocalypse" (Cleo felt silly for using the saying) Mako was a safe haven. The island contained fresh water, fruit and plants, and was surrounded by edible sea life. There were also no hungry, infected people around. It only made sense that he friends would come here, too.

Cleo helped her family set up a camp, but the entire time she was longing to sneak off to the Moon Pool to look for her friends. Her father built a surprisingly sturdy shelter, Sam made a fire, Kim looked for shellfish and Cleo gathered fruit.

For lunch Cleo had a banana, fresh water and crab. It felt like a feast, and everyone was happy to be off of the boat.

"Um...I think I remember seeing some coconut trees around here when we were camping. I'll go look for them."

"Coconut water is soooo good for your skin." Kim approved. Mr. Sertori gave his approval of Cleo's little adventure and Cleo walked down the beach and out of sight.

She ran into the water and dove under. It felt so good to finally swim again. She took a little extra time to enjoy the cool water and the beautiful reef on her way to the underwater Moon Pool entrance.

She saw it: the cave that would confirm or shatter her hopes that she would be reunited with her friends. Who would be there? Would it be Rikki, Bella, or Lewis? Or worst of all...no one?

Her head broke the surface and Cleo was scared to open her eyes. She didn't hear anyone and her heart sank. There was no one here. Not one of her friends made it.

Then she opened her eyes, and squealed in excitement. There were two large duffel bags sitting on a ledge of the cave. Propped against the wall there were supplies to make a tent, as well as a few small supplies scattered around the sand.

"Lewis?" she cried excitedly, struggling to pull herself out of the water. "Lewis, are you here?"

Only Lewis would bring that many supplies, be so prepared to live in the wild. Cleo dragged her tail out of the water-a harder task than it sounded-and started to blow-dry herself with her wind power.

"Cleo?" she heard a surprised male voice call. It came from the cave adjacent to the Moon Pool, but echoed so much throughout the rock walls that she couldn't tell the tone of the voice.

"Lewis, is that you?" she ran into the next cave.

First her eyes took in the blonde hair. For a split second she thought it was her boyfriends; then she absorbed the tall, muscular body and the tan skin of Will Benjamin.

Although she was glad to see that Will was okay, Cleo immediately wished it was Lewis who would greet her. Then she felt bad for thinking that way. Will was okay. Maybe he was with Lewis and the others, and they were all camping nearby!

"Are you with anyone else?" she asked Will urgently.

At the exact same time, Will asked: "Have you seen any of the others?"

"No." they both said and shook their heads solemnly. Cleo looked down at the sand, tearing up. They couldn't be the only two of their group to survive. Rikki could face anything. Bella could keep a cool head during the most stressful of times. And Lewis was smart enough to think his way out of any situation. They should be here, filling the obvious silence between her and Will.

"Did you come with anyone?" Will asked, quick to change the subject.

"Yeah, my family. When did you get here?" Cleo sat down in the sand, and Will did the same.

"A few days ago...maybe a week. Since this whole thing started. I heard it on the news, sent a message to you guys, and came here. I figured you would all come here as soon as you found out." Will explained.

"I wanted to." Cleo admitted. She drew a heart in the sand then viciously scrubbed it out. Too many memories. "My family and I hid out in our basement for a while but had to leave. We went out on my dad's boat and drifted towards here. We're camping near the beach, you should join us."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Will agreed. But he sounded distracted. Cleo took in his full appearance. At first glance he looked like normal Will. But normal Will didn't have those crazed, wide eyes. He didn't hunch over with anxiety. Cleo worried that the few days alone here had done more harm than good. Certainly if Cleo was on her own like that she would go a bit crazy herself.

Cleo stood abruptly and dusted the sand off her shorts. She offered her hand to Will and helped him up. They walked up the rock ledge and into the Moon Pool.

Cleo loaded herself up with Will's gear, knowing that once she turned into a mermaid it would disappear like her clothes. Will helped strap a few bags to her back and then she dove into the pool. Her tail appeared ten seconds later, the gear disappearing at the same time. Cleo swam slowly out of the underwater entrance, letting Will keep up with her. His excellent swimming skills allowed her to swim a bit faster and they reached a private part of shore in no time.

Will helped Cleo dry off and then they carried the bags to her families' campsite. Will explained his story to the Sertoris and offered to help set up his tent for Cleo, Sam and Kim to share.

Mr. Sertori was more than welcoming, and soon Will started to act like himself again. But Cleo could see the persistent worry in his eyes. Worry for the future, worry for his friends and family.

If Cleo could look in a mirror, she would see the exact same look in her own brown eyes.

**Thanks for reading! It really means a lot. Please leave a review, I would love to hear your thoughts on this story. I have decided how I will end it :) Xoxo**


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